The notion of dividing Keller ISD into two school districts is being discussed. However, how would that operate, and what actions are required to make it a reality?
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Keller ISD is holding a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the idea of splitting into two districts.
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About 120 people have signed up to give their opinions before trustees meet behind closed doors.
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School district experts say it is possible to split up a school district, but the process can be problematic.
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Keller ISD is holding a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the idea of splitting into two districts.
-
About 120 people have signed up to give their opinions before trustees meet behind closed doors.
-
School district experts say it is possible to split up a school district, but the process can be problematic.
KELLER, TexasThe notion of dividing the school district in two is being considered by Keller ISD. However, how would that operate, and what actions are required to make it a reality?
Keller ISD Special Meeting
We know:
Approximately 120 people registered to speak at the Keller ISD school board meeting on Thursday night.
A lot of people want answers. However, trustees are not anticipated to take any action and will merely discuss the divide behind closed doors.
Charles Randklev, the president of the Keller ISD school board, has presented the proposal as a “reshaping” of the district.
According to him, Keller ISD is facing previously unheard-of difficulties, just as other districts in the state. Additionally, while some nearby districts are reducing their programming or eliminating campuses, Keller ISD will think about “reshaping the district,” according to Rendklev.
What they’re saying:
A traditional Keller district and a new Alliance ISD district would result from the proposal to separate Keller ISD.
Some parents claim that the new district would lose out because it is located in a less affluent area of the existing school district.
“The Keller side will be able to retain all of those facilities if the district is divided, whereas the alliance side will no longer have access to them. Or in some situations, Keller may charge the Alliance district—again, I’m not sure the specifics—said Michelle Testerman, a parent of Keller ISD.
Keller ISD discusses possibility of splitting the district in two
Charles Randklev, the president of the Keller ISD school board, is characterizing the division as a “reshaping” of the district.
The specifics have not been made public, so Testerman and others—including at least two board members—do not know them.
Doug Williams, the former superintendent of Sunnyvale ISD, now serves as a consultant to trustees, superintendents, and school systems.
It would be difficult to divide the 34,000-student district, he said.
“You will need to consider your demographic composition while drawing those boundaries, whether it be socioeconomic, ethnic, or something else entirely. Therefore, I believe that all of that will need to be taken into account,” he stated.
Charles Randklev, the president of the Keller ISD school board, is characterizing the division as a “reshaping” of the district.
Splitting Up School District
Overview:
Some of the issues Keller ISD is facing are also being faced by districts nationwide.
The splintering of affluent neighborhoods from school districts is a trend that is accelerating, according to a 2019 Education Week article.
Mike Moses, a former commissioner for the Texas Education Agency, stated, “I think we’re going to see more of this, or we could potentially see more of this,”
At the time Chapter 13 was approved, Moses served as a TEA commissioner. If a district can satisfy a high standard, it describes the procedure for creating, combining, eliminating, or detaching it.
He claimed that the grading system for accountability is one aspect of the issue.
“The public may not have all the facts about who attends that school or how many students actually perform poorly when they look at the grade, so to speak. Is there ten? Are there five? Or fifty? However, it does lead some people to believe that perhaps we should divide up and leave the underperforming schools or children behind. Or perhaps we should separate,” he remarked.
The Education Code’s Chapter 13 permits this to occur by a school board resolution.
The court may hold an election if the board decides against it and ten percent of the district’s voters petition the county commissioner’s court. For that vote, a quarter of the district’s voters would need to show up.
The legislature has set a high standard. But it must be, with so much on the line.
The information in this story was obtained through interviews with a former Sunnyvale ISD superintendent and a former TEA commissioner, as well as a social media post by Charles Randklev, the president of the Keller ISD school board.
